Combat· World War I
AEF Western Front
This entry covers the overall service of the 4th Marine Brigade with the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front, the larger campaign that all of the brigade's individual battles were part of.
The Marines fought as the infantry half of the Army's 2d Division, the only division in the war to combine an Army brigade and a Marine brigade. Across the campaign, they served under both American and French command, shifting from sector to sector as the fighting demanded. They took part in defensive stands, major Allied counterattacks, and the final offensives that broke the German lines. The brigade earned a hard reputation as one of the AEF's leading combat units, and several of its leaders, including Lejeune, Neville, Lee, and Feland, became major figures in the Corps. Its combined record represents the Marine contribution to the war's victory.
Engagements in this conflict (7) Podcast episodes on World War I
Record no. 537